These are a few of my favorite things

Have you ever walked into a kitchen store or cooking store (like, say, Sur la Table or Williams Sonoma) and thought "what the hell is that" or "really, what does THAT do"? Me neither. I walk in and it's like coming home. I want to hug everything I see. I want to wrap my arms around stand mixers and cuddle with aprons like a nap blanket. I want to sit in a corner and read a cookbook from cover to cover and then make at least ONE item from the section clearly marked "Desserts" or "Roasting".  From the moment I walk in the smell envelopes my lungs and it reminds me of a comforting place. A place where I am safe and warm and can do (pretty much) no wrong. I love a good kitchen store.

What I love even more is walking out with a new "toy". Going to the wall of gadgets and looking at a lemon bird, cherry pitter or strawberry huller (of course I own them all don't be ridiculous) and thinking immediately that I need to bake a tarte or a galette*. Wait, this isn't normal? I love the idea of a new toy or a new bottle of vanilla - I'm a simple girl. But my absolute favorite kitchen gadget is the whisk.  It's even a joy to say.  Pucker your lips, puff out your cheeks, smile and say it - WHHHIIISSSK - it just slips through the teeth like a whisper. A soft promise of light and fluffy whipped cream or a thick rich Béchamel sauce.  Mmmmmm.  Yuuuummmm.

Oh, sorry, I drifted off for a moment dreaming of a whipped cream cloud.

Where were we? Oh, right - whhhhiiisssk.  This may seem like a simple item, and in theory it is, but there are several varieties of these seemingly easy tools and they have different uses.  Can you use ONE style of whisk for almost everything? Sure you can - but what fun is THAT? Why wouldn't you want a plethora of choices? French whisks (my personal favorite), ball whisks, bedspring coil whisks, birch whisks, spiral whisks, and flat whisks - oh my!  Would my Grandmother have used any of these? Probably not. She probably would have just pulled out a fork, but this is the 21st Century people - grab a whisk and start creating!  Join the revolution!  Viva la Revolution!

*Galette (word of the day) - Galette is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes.